Saturday, September 20, 2014

Thanks to all who entered and spread the word about the Green Psi Prize Pack giveaway! There were a TON of entries. You all know how much I hate when the time comes to have Rafflecopter randomly pick a winner - as I want ALL of you to win everything all the time - but alas, I can only give one prize pack away and it will be going to ... *drumroll* ...Misti SumThing!

Congrats, Misti! Please check your inbox for an email from me!

If you're not Misti - don't fret! Below is a list of other blogs who are giving away prize packs just as kick-ass as this one! Some of the giveaways may have ended already, some may not have begun but start visiting these awesome bloggers for a maximum chance to win this AMAZING trilogy!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

You wouldn't have found a more excited fangirl than me when news broke that not only were Isabel and Cole from the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy getting their own book, but Link and Ridley from Beautiful Creatures as well. I often cling to the secondary characters in big series so I definitely squealed a bit. Or a lot. Whatever.

I know giving secondary characters their own novel isn't really a new concept in publishing but these two were my first taste of it. And if I'm being honest ... I was kiiiiiiiiind of let down.

While Sinner explored the dynamic between Isabel and Cole and their relationship ... well, that's pretty much all I got from it. There wasn't a plot if you don't count Cole's new reality show endeavor and I don't because that was mainly there to push Cole into comprising situations. There wasn't even the wolf aspect of the Wolves of Mercy Falls to wrap me in a warm, familiar hug to reassure me that this was the world and the characters that I was so in love with. Well, there was but only a few scenes and they seemed a bit all over the place to me. The last disappointment was Isabel and Cole's relationship which pretty much is the story. The passion and chemistry they had in Forever fizzled so hard. I can't recall a single touching or super romantic moment.

I'm happy that this was written and I'm happy I read it. I didn't like it all that much, but it's like bumping into an old friend that you haven't seen or spoke to in forever - it's always nice to see them. And despite how I felt about the book as a whole, it definitely was nice to get closure with Isabel and Cole.

Unlike Sinner, I actually really liked Dangerous Creatures. Link was his usual Shrinky Dink, lovable self and Ridley was as charming *cough* as ever. I did have a couple of small things that I wish were different but overall, I thought Kami and Margaret gave Link and Ridley an awesome story of their own. I thought the way some plot lines of the previous Beautiful Creatures were entwined with this story was a really great idea and introducing a new kind-of-villain only made it better. (Speaking of - can we talk about how I kind of love and hate Lennox Gates at the same time?! Is this how Loki lovers feel?)

As I said before, there are some things that I was pretty meh about. First, the lack of passion between Link and Ridley. Just like Isabel and Cole, these two seemed kind of dull compared to the BC series. They definitely had their cute and romantic moments, don't get me wrong, but this entire book was about them. I want a lot more playful, sarcastic Link and Ridley relationship goodness! The second thing could probably relate to the first - I feel as if this could have been a bit of a bigger book with more. More plot, more room to develop the characters and the tension, more loveytimes for Link and Rid. Maybe I'm just used to being spoiled with how massive all of the other BC books are but that was definitely something that nagged at me. And the last thing was how anticlimactic it all seemed. I mean, it's kind of hard to top the kind of terrifying things that Ethan and Lena had to go through, but give my little fictional babies some kind of epic adventure of their own.

But! I definitely did enjoy it! It fit snugly in the awesomely wicked world that Kami and Margaret created while standing apart from all of the other books. I'm excited for book two and to see where it takes Link and Ridley.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Okay, I think you guys all know how much I love The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken. isn't a strong enough word. It's like I'm a rabid tween at a One Direction concert only it's not One Direction, it's a fictional blonde boy named Liam who can move things with his mind and says things like "Give 'em, darlin," and ... well, you guys get me. The point of this rambling is that the final book - In The Afterlight - releases at the end of next month and I'm losing my mind with excitement to finally have it in my possession.

And if you're just as crazy insane excited as I am - I'm so happy to be giving ONE of you the opportunity to win the most kick-ass prize pack for this series ever! But before we get into all of that good stuff, I need to remind you guys that not only are we getting the final book in the trilogy soon but also another amazing ebook novella - Sparks Rise. (It includes a preview chapter of In The Afterlight just in case the wait is killing you a little bit extra and you need something to tide you over) In Time pretty much gutted me so I'm anxious to see what Alex will do to me with this one.

Here's a bit about it if you're living under a rock and haven't checked it out yet:

Sparks Rise (The Darkest Minds #2.5) Available online September 2, 2014 This New eBook Novella connects the last two novels in The Darkest Minds trilogy.

Sam didn't think things could get worse at Thurmand rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam's dark childhood.

Lucas has a deadly secret--he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk his everything to save her.

And also some important information about In The Afterlight:

In The Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3)

In Stores October 28th

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. Only Ruby can keep their highly dangerous prisoner in check. But with Clancy Gray, there's no guarantee you're fully in control, and everything comes with a price.

When the Children's League disbands, Ruby rises up as a leader and forms an unlikely allegiance with Liam's brother, Cole, who has a volatile secret of his own. There are still thousands of other Psi kids suffering in government "rehabilitation camps" all over the country. Freeing them--revealing the governments unspeakable abuses in the process--is the mission Ruby has claimed since her own escape from Thurmond, the worst camp in the country.

But not everyone is supportive of the plan Ruby and Cole craft to free the camps. As tensions rise, competing ideals threaten the mission to uncover the cause of IANN, the disease that killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others with powers the government will kill to keep contained. With the fate of a generation in their hands, there is no room for error. One wrong move could be the spark that sets the world on fire.

The giveaway is coming next - I promise! But first I want to acknowledge and the person we have to thank *cough*blame*cough* our current obsessions on - the wonderfully wonderful Alexandra Bracken! I can't say enough great things about her. She's super talented and I can't wait to read more and more from her in the future.

About Alex Bracken:

Alexandra Bracken was born and raised in Arizona, but moved east to study at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. She recently relocated to New York City, where she worked in publishing and lives in a charming apartment overflowing with books.

And now, what you've all be scrolling and waiting so patiently for ... *drumroll* ... THE GIVEAWAY. Like I said above, this is one kick-ass prize pack that I'm drooling over. Take a look below at what one lucky winner will be receiving!

- One (1) winner will receive the Green Psi Prize Pack that includes a custom Darkest Minds puzzle, tote bag and the Darkest Minds trilogy.

- Prizing & samples courtesy of Disney-Hyperion

- Open to US addresses only.

- Must be 13 years or older to enter.

- Giveaway will end on September 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's not all! All around the blogosphere, from now until the release of In The Afterlight, a load of other awesome bloggers are giving away different color prize packs just as cool as this one! Search the #TheDarkestMinds hashtag on social media and try to find them all to increase your chances of winning!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

I'm going to try to avoid making this one of those "I'm back! The blog is back! Posts and content ALL THE TIME from now on!" kind of things because I can't even count how many of those promises I've made and broken by now. In fact, I'm just going to skip over excuses and reasons and all of that and just give you guys an update on what I've been up to for the past year that I've been absent in the blogosphere!

Sometime in the beginning of January, I quit designing. I can honestly say that I began to hate KD Designs with a passion. I taught myself graphic design when I was thirteen and had loved doing it for fun but dealing with rude, demanding people who took advantage of me for such a little price ... it ruined it for me. January was when I hit my breaking point and after two years of designing for money, I shut down KD Designs and looked elsewhere for a steady job. One that wouldn't make me want to bash my head into the wall on a daily, hourly basis.

After a bunch of applications and interviews and rejections, I eventually found myself an employee at my local indie - and one of the only bookstores in the area - New Horizons Book Shop.

It's a small, old-school kind of shop. It's not a typical book store; there's no plushy chairs or coffee or carpets or anything else that makes a bookstore kind of - what's the word I'm looking for? - bookstoreish? Let's go with that. You guys all know what I mean. It's a store with aisles and aisles of books. That's good enough for me.

What I see from the front counter. What a view!

And I LOVE it. I love working around books, recommending books, selling books, discussing books. I love the people that I work with and the freedom that I get there. I love that once a rude, demanding costumer walks out of the store, I know that I won't have to deal with them ever again. (Unless they're one of those costumers. Retail workers, ya feel me.) And a steady, weekly paycheck is also a huge plus. Side note: I'll be doing a more detailed post on my bookstore in the near future so keep your eyes peeled!

Other than that, my year has been pretty tame. Still writing, still working on getting published.

But I've missed the blogosphere so much and I think I'm ready to get back to it. Working in a bookstore has definitely given me back that desire to write and talk about books that I lost awhile ago. I make no promises though! Maybe I'll post regularly, maybe I'll take hiatuses regularly. I'm just gonna roll with it and post when I've got something to post!

Okay, enough about me. What have all of you lovely people been up to? What's been the best bookish part of this past year or the best bookish part of your summer? Let me know in the comments below!